The majority of snake lakes are fairly uniform in terms of the contours under the water, typically made up of a deep central channel and shallow ledges close in and right across – but there are some exceptions.
Taking on a snake swim that’s got 4ft-plus of water tight to the far bank presents a lot of challenges. Here's how to overcome them...
Use a heavier float
You need the bait to get down fast but also have enough weight to hold back against, keeping a tight line. A 4x16 Carp Shallow is perfect.
Feed bigger pellets
Micro pellets sink too slowly. Use bigger, heavier pellets, namely wetted 4mm hard pellets fed via a small pot each drop in. These get down fast.
Bulk-shot your rig
There’s no point in trying to catch fish on the drop, so the shotting pattern needs to be quite crude, just a bulk of shot 1ins above the hooklength.
Fish soft elastic
Although I’m fishing positively, I don’t want to drag the fish in quickly. A soft elastic such as the 13 grade Dura Slip Hybrid is ideal for fish from 1lb to 5lb.
Search the swim
It’s still a little bit cold, so the fish aren’t always going to stay in one spot. If I stop getting bites, I’ll add a half extension and start a new line.
Try groundbait
Groundbait plays a part in deep water, fed as nuggets. When the swim fades, I’ll pop in a little ball of Thatcher’s Green and fish dead maggots.
